Influence of carvacrol on survival of Botrytis cinerea inoculated in table grapes.

In this paper, the role of carvacrol vapour atmosphere on Botrytis cinerea inoculated in PDA or in grape berries was studied. Four concentrations inside packages were assayed (0.05, 0.2, 0.5 and 1.0 ml l(-1)). All concentrations inhibited totally the growth of B. cinerea in PDA, while in berries the reduction of decayed fruits was significantly greater as carvacrol concentration increased. In addition, the fungal growth (area and volume of infection) was also reduced and dependent on carvacrol concentration. Ethylene and respiration rate (berry physiological parameters) increased drastically in control inoculated-grapes, while these increases were lower as higher were the carvacrol applied doses. The data presented in this work suggest that carvacrol could be used as an innovative tool to control fungal decay during table grape storage, as alternative to the use of synthetic fungicides such as SO2.